No, or the Vain Glory of Command

One of Oliveira's best… but weak, fragile, boring and a little unpatriotic.

I already had the opportunity to see, and review here, more than one film by Manoel de Oliveira, and after having seen this film, I keep my ideas. I have absolutely nothing against the director, I really appreciate his tenacity, his passion for cinematographic art, the way he devoted himself to cinema in a country that never saw in cinema anything but a "fait-diver", and that never led him to seriously or adequately supported it (lack of interest and support that does not apply only to cinema, but is something common to all cultural manifestations in Portugal). Oliveira would have been one of the greatest European filmmakers, one of the most appreciated and recognized, if he had not had the misfortune of being born in Portugal.

However, although I recognize Oliveira's intelligence, attentive eye, perfectionism, stubbornness and passion, this does not blind my discernment to another issue: his films are not commercially viable. As I have already said on other occasions, Portuguese filmmakers and directors tend to opt for unpalatable films, intellectual to the point of hermeticism, or cheesy, idiotic films, without any cultural value. And if some are the delight of festivals and that pseudo-intellectual bourgeoisie (mainly those who want to appear to understand cinema when in fact they know nothing about the subject), the others sell well, but are a national disgrace. We still haven't found that middle ground where art marries healthy entertainment.

Of all Oliveira's films I've seen, this one manages to be probably the least silly and the most enjoyable. Maybe because I'm a historian, and the film is essentially about the country's past and, mainly, the lost battles of history. Using these themes, Oliveira attempts an essay on the great military defeats suffered by the country, and the way in which this affected the course of the nation: the murder of Viriato (he was not Portugues...